Safety First

[precisionrifleman]

Is there any way you can talk about range safety at the matches and how you all make it clear when someone is to be 86'd. I am looking forward to help assist as an ro at the local guardian match and want to make damn sure no one is getting flagged around me. at what point are the shooters crossing the line? Im not only talking going into and off a stage but throughout transitions from barricade to barricade... always keeping in mind where your muzzle is pointed. The quote " my magazine is out and I have a chamber flag in" doesn't justify the action of flagging a line of shooters. I appreciate any instruction you can shed on this topic of safety!

 

[Mag1c-Mik3]

Excellent question. Let's talk about safety.

 

[Cascade Precision]

To the OP:

I have done a lot of RO'ing at big matches (3-gun, USPSA, outlaw 3-gun) and have had more than one opportunity to DQ competitors. This is my experience (as I am also a local match director for NRL22 matches) - Let the Match Director do the DQ'ing. The competitors are paying several hundred dollars in match fees, plus ammo, travel, food, lodging, etc. IF you feel that someone broke a cardinal rule or match rule, stop them, pull them to the side, and call the Match Director. Explain to the competitor why you stopped them while the MD is there and let the MD take that hit. It shows professionalism on your part, allows the competitor to plead their case to the MD, and takes heat off you. If the MD decides to let them stay, just re-run them in the mix and move on.

I never enjoy being the reason someone lost $500 plus in fees et al, as I would not (and have not) enjoyed that as a competitor.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

There is safety conscious, and then there is being a range nazi. Nobody likes a range nazi.

I have been accused of flagging a range officer with my M4. Except, at the time, the rifle was hinged forward and the bolt was in my hand for him to inspect....don't be a range nazi.

 

[SLG]

An RO DQ'd me one time at a nationals for dry firing on an empty range, at the berm, with no one there. Nothing unsafe was done, and the MD put me back in the match. Some RO's don't know much about what safety is, regardless of the administrative rules that may be in place.

 

[Srikaleak]

To make range safety very simple can we agree to:
Never point muzzle at anyone
Make obvious gun is empty / not functional

Is there anything else to expand on other than pounding inti peoples heads the 4 (simple) rules of gun safety.

 

[Deleted member 113831]

To make range safety very simple can we agree to:
Never point muzzle at anyone
Make obvious gun is empty / not functional

Is there anything else to expand on other than pounding inti peoples heads the 4 (simple) rules of gun safety.

The question isn't whether we agree on those in principle. The disagreement comes in the interpretation. The two instances SLG and I gave above serve as good typical examples.

Was the action actually unsafe? Or did it just make someone feel a bit squeamish because they have some sort of irrational fear that other shooters are supposed to somehow be wary of? Your first rule is a good example, "Never point the muzzle at anyone".

We can all agree on not doing that with a known loaded weapon.
We can all agree on not doing it with a weapon that the condition is unknown to the person handling it.
I think we can all agree not to do it when the condition is not obvious to anyone observing.
But what about if the chamber flag is in and the bolt is still in the gun?
What if the chamber flag is in and the bolt is obviously NOT in the gun?
What if the bolt is in but the rifle is hinged open and obviously cant fire?

You see, there is the consideration of actual safety, nobody wants anybody to get hurt. Then there is the problem of perception, if an otherwise safe act makes someone uneasy, does that mean it deserves a DQ?

 

[Srikaleak]

Seems a little too subjective for me. But life is a sea of grey. I'd just defer to the match director unless the shooter did something super stupid and obvious.

 

[precisionrifleman]

To the OP:

I have done a lot of RO'ing at big matches (3-gun, USPSA, outlaw 3-gun) and have had more than one opportunity to DQ competitors. This is my experience (as I am also a local match director for NRL22 matches) - Let the Match Director do the DQ'ing. The competitors are paying several hundred dollars in match fees, plus ammo, travel, food, lodging, etc. IF you feel that someone broke a cardinal rule or match rule, stop them, pull them to the side, and call the Match Director. Explain to the competitor why you stopped them while the MD is there and let the MD take that hit. It shows professionalism on your part, allows the competitor to plead their case to the MD, and takes heat off you. If the MD decides to let them stay, just re-run them in the mix and move on.

I never enjoy being the reason someone lost $500 plus in fees et al, as I would not (and have not) enjoyed that as a competitor.

Great advice, -> I appreciate your insight.